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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · racket · roll · track · ground · object · capital · wax

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. roll — a list
  4. capital — money
  5. roll — a cake
  6. track — a path
  7. capital — a city
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ground — the earth
  10. object — an aim
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ground — a position
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. ground — crushed
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. can — to be able to
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. track — a song
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com